Topic: Nintendo's region lock DLC conundrum

I've gotten myself into a pickle and could use some advice. I'm a gamer in Singapore with US eShop account. But most of my physical game purchases are European copies with Pegi ratings. US and European physical copies are sold interchangeably here.

I recently bought a copy of Splatoon 2's DLC on sale. I tried to access the content and got error message 2811-6003. Then I remembered that DLC can sometimes not be compatible if the physical cart is from a different region. Indeed, my Splatoon 2 cart is European but my DLC purchase is from the US eShop. A friend agreed to swap his US Splatoon 2 cartridge with mine. So, in theory, I should be able to access the DLC I bought.

Is there any way to access the DLC without having to swap cartridges? And with future purchases in mind, is it possible for me to buy DLC from the European eShop without too much of a headache? And another question: I bought Smash Bros DLCs from the US eShop and it works fine on my European cart. So what gives?

@nib0 With some games different regions have the exact same version of the game so DLC works across regions but in other cases (such as with Splatoon 2), different regions' versions count as completely different games so you'll need to buy the DLC from the appropriate region and there's no real work around that unfortunately.

@BenAV A conundrum indeed! Is there any way to check when a DLC might be compatible across regions prior to purchase? Specifically, I'm planning to buy the Pokemon Sword/Shield DLC but haven't pulled the trigger on it. My copy is European.

@BenAV I carefully re-read what you wrote. If it counts as a different game, will my existing save data be compatible if I insert a US cartridge of Splatoon 2? My hunch was that I could just swap cartridges and it would all work seamlessly and recognize my purchased DLC.

@CactusMan that's helpful, thanks!

Do you know if my existing save data (from a European cart) will sync up if I insert a (native) US cart, and thus allow me to access the DLC? My Splatoon character is leveled quite high and I'd like to retain that progress if I switch carts.

@CactusMan I've done some Googling and reading Reddit posts and apparently, if I inserted a US Splatoon cart, none of my save data (from my European copy) would carry over and I'd have to start from scratch, losing all my unlocked weapons and high level. It's apparently one of the few Switch games to be "soft locked" to certain regions because of online play.

So my two options appear to be: A) Keep my current cartridge and save data, having wasted money on the DLC that I cannot access. B) Switch to a native US cart, gain access to the DLC but lose all my data and begin the game from scratch.

What a bummer. I've put nearly 50 hours into Splatoon 2. What would you do?

EDIT: Alternatively, there's a third option. C) Get a European Nintendo eShop account, re-purchase the DLC and access it while retaining my save data and progress... oof. All of this feels punishing as a consumer.

@nib0 Yeah, that's my understanding of it.

It might be worth doing the swap and starting over as I'd imagine you don't have too much perfect gear and all that yet in ~50 hours (your skills and knowledge of the game are probably the most valuable experience you've gained so far so at least that stays with you).

If you do feel like you've made too much progress to start from scratch though then it might be worth just buying the DLC again from the correct region as it's really good and is worth playing. Alternative perhaps you could borrow your friend's copy just to play the DLC then give it back afterwards, as it's mostly singleplayer content, if you don't care too much about being able to play online as an Octoling.

You could also try your luck at getting Nintendo to refund your purchase but I don't know how feasible that would be from Singapore with a US account.

@BenAv I've decided to start fresh with the US cartridge and cut my losses. As you said, with 50 hours I have a lot of experience with the game and could probably build back to a comparable position in a few months. Not the worst thing to ever happen. But it'll be a lesson. I opened a European eShop account too to avert a repeat of this sort of thing. Thanks for your feedback guys.

@nib0 No problem. Enjoy the DLC.

I've got some good news. I reached out to customer support at Nintendo this morning to explain the situation. My impression was that Nintendo would be stingy and turn me away without a refund or a solution. But surprisingly, they offered me a refund in the form of eShop credit (no complaints there) and processed it with lightning speed. Excellent customer service too.

So with this experience behind me and a new European eShop account to buy DLC from as needed, this situation has worked itself out nicely. I'll get to keep my Splatoon 2 save data after all.